Today's Adoption Day honors families who are adopting children today or have done so in the past. Precipitated by parents filing petitions, adoption proceedings are held throughout the year at the ...

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ADOPTION DAY

Today's Adoption Day honors families who are adopting children today or have done so in the past. Precipitated by parents filing petitions, adoption proceedings are held throughout the year at the county courthouse.

Since 2008 in Monroe County, 134 dependent children have found permanency with adoptive families. Today's Adoption Day proceedings will not differ from any others, but a celebration following the ceremony is planned to honor all families who have adopted children in the county.

The Monroe County Children's Roundtable, which organized today's event, began last year when the county's agencies partnered with each other under the statewide Permanency Practice Initiative.

The state Supreme Court created the PPI to improve dependent children's lives. Dependent children are those taken into foster care because their parents or legal guardians are unable to care for them.

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Meet 2-year-old Scotty and his 1-year-old brother, Josiah.

Like most brothers that close in age, they do everything together, whether it's noisily romping around part of the house, riding their wooden ponies or climbing up on the footrest to get a closer look at the aquarium.

Scotty and Josiah look different because each was born to a different set of parents.

But they're sons to Humberto "Bert" Loys and his wife, Evelyn Loys, of Jackson Township, who adopted Josiah in May and formally adopt Scotty today in Monroe County Court.

And to the Loys' biological children, Hallie, 11, and Christopher, 8, Scotty and Josiah are brothers.

"Many Monroe County agencies have formed the Monroe County Children's Roundtable to combine resources and talents to try to better tackle the issue of delinquency and dependency," said Wendy Frable, a member of the Children's Roundtable's public relations subcommittee. "One of the events we wanted to highlight as part of the Children's Roundtable is (today's) Adoption Day."

Bert and Evelyn Loys got the idea of bringing new children into their home shortly after they learned Chris has autism.

"He was diagnosed when he was 2, and our doctor referred us to people who work with autistic children," Bert said. "And those people in turn suggested we bring others into helping Chris. We had so many people and agencies come forth and help him get to the point where he can now function successfully with other kids in the mainstream educational setting."

This outpouring of help and support from others inspired the family themselves to give to others.

"We were looking for ways we could give back," Bert said. "Since our son had been helped, we thought about helping other children, so we decided to become foster parents (through Monroe County Children and Youth Services)."

The family underwent thorough FBI and other background checks, had their home evaluated for safety and took first aid classes to be cleared to foster children.

Both parents have clean backgrounds. A U.S. Marine veteran and former New Jersey warehouse manager now on disability due to back problems, Bert from a prior marriage has children, one of whom is in college, and two grandchildren.

"Once we were cleared to become foster parents, we made it clear we just wanted to foster, but not to adopt any kids, since we already had two of our own," Bert said.

Then came their first foster child, Josiah, who was just 2 days old when they brought him home July 15, 2012, from Pocono Medical Center.

"His biological parents weren't in a position to be suitable parents," Bert said. "They lost their parental rights, though they still come to visit him. And so, Josiah stayed with us. We grew so much to love him like our own that we now can't picture our lives without him."

This past May, the Loys family formally adopted Josiah. The same judge presiding over the adoption proceeding then performed the couple's wedding ceremony that same day.

"I was shaking at first because I was so nervous, but it was a happy day for us for both reasons," said Evelyn, who has been with Bert for almost 19 years.

Scotty, their second foster child, came along the week before last Thanksgiving. Scotty had been a respite, a foster child bounced from family to family.

"His biological parents are completely out of the picture," Bert said.

Scotty's outgoing, rambunctious nature at first contrasted with Josiah's more quiet one, but it wasn't long before the former began rubbing off on the latter.

"And now, they're inseparable," Evelyn said, smiling and watching both boys move the foot rest around in the living room. "Scotty calls Josiah his 'buddy.'"

The family said Scotty appears to have some issues, such as learning slower than the average child his age how to speak.